BELLA DONNA

By Barbara Cherne

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1564743624
• ISBN13: 9781564743626
• Release Date: February 2015
• Publisher: Daniel & Daniel Publishers
• Length: 100 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Who did it the Renassaince way?

This book is so thrilling that you will never want to put it down! If you have it for school reading, you won't want to stop a the appointed boundaries! Just when you think that you know who killed Emilia Novella, you are dead wrong. This book takes so many interesting turns that it will boggle your mind for days. This book stays with you as a great novel and great history book as you peak into the lives of a Renassaince family!

a fun read

The biggest assert this novel possesses is its vivid imagery (food, clothing, country side, etc.) and it's brilliant descriptions of the city of Florence in 1494. Another assert that this mystery novel possesses is its determined, intelligent and unlikely heroine, Giuditta. The mystery itself is a rather straight forward one, with very few twists and turns. And as another reviewer pointed out certain details, and the manner in which Giuditta arrived at resolution of the mystery, are rather sketchy. Nonetheless, this is a rather delightful little mystery.When Emilia Novella, the quarrelsome wife of the elder Novella son, Carlo, is found dead in the courtyard, it is almost certain that she was murdered. Evidence points to the fact that Bella, the wife of Carlo's brother, Domenico, with whom Emilia had a rather acrimonious relationship, is the murderer. However, Giuditta, the cook, and Bella's only friend in the household, refuses to believe that Bella murdered Emilia. And almost at once she uncovers evidence that Bella was framed. But by whom? The finger of suspicion points to someone in the Novella family. Was it Emilia's own daughter, Antonia, who had quarreled bitterly with her mother over her right to choose her own husband? Or could it be Bella's own husband, who seems distractingly unconcerned that Bella has been arrested for Emilia's death? Angry with the Novellas for their lack of concern about Bella's fate. Giuditta vows to discover who murdered Emilia and framed Bella. With her best friend's help, Giuditta begins to look more closely at each member of the Novella family, and realises that she is close to making a discovery when first she is warned off the investigation, and when later, the murderer begins to stalk her. However Giuditta is firmly resolved to help her friend, no matter the cost. Will she be able to unmask the murderer before Bella's trial, and before she herself becomes the victim of this determined killer?I enjoyed reading "Bella Donna" very much, in spite of the fact that the mystery was a little sketchy. I do wish however that there had been more character development overall, and that Cherne had gone into more detail with regards to the motives and backgrounds of the suspects. Barbara Cherne's vivid descriptions of the city of Florence however truly does bring the city to life (but a map of the city, and all the places Giuditta visited would have been nice). Cherne also successfully portrayed the rather stiff and cold family dynamics of the Novellas. The clever play on the phrase 'bella donna' was a nice touch too. "Bella Donna" was a really fun read, and I hope that Barbara Cherne will write more Giuditta mystery novels in the future.

A lilting, exquisitely written mystery

Barbara Cherne offers up her third novel in Bella Donna. Cherne is a former journalist and holds memberships in Sisters in Crime, the National Writers Union, and the Women's National Book Association. She currently resides in Los Angeles.Set in 1494 in Florentine Italy, Bella Donna takes place about the same time as Columbus' journeys to the New World. Told from the viewpoint of Guiditta, the cook in the Novella family, complete with tantalizing descriptions of her cooking, Bella Donna is a murder story. The Novella family is a cold one, and when Emilia, wife of Carlo Novella, is found viciously murdered in the courtyard with her sister-in-law Bella's necklace lying beside the body, Bella is unceremoniously thrown in prison, where she will stand trial for her life. She languishes in jail while her husband, Domenico, frolics with his mistress:"The slenderness of Paola's arm, the fan of bones beneath the back of her hand, the small knobs at the wrist, always astonished him after his long familiarity with Bella's fleshy abundance. His gaze traveled toward the end of the bed, where a small carving of a woman, gilded from the top of her ringlets to the waves of her hem, rested high on the wall. The ringlets, with their dark blonde hue, were like Bella's springy curls; that hair, her pride, swarmed in dirty coils around her shoulders the last time he had visited her in prison."Bella Donna is a lilting, exquisitely written mystery set in an "upstairs; downstairs" milieu. As Bella's friend and only ally, Guiditta must unravel the thread of conspiracy that has permeated the Novella household for decades. As a servant, Guiditta's life is not worth much, and the paid assassin who torments her lends suspense and danger as she pursues her investigation.Cherne handles the varying roles of women in Bella Donna with finesse, as the reader is lead through the various labyrinths that each woman's role locks her into. Bella Donna is as much about women's liberation as it is about murder, and Cherne teaches us well. Guiditta is an instant success as a heroine, and her lover, the artist Alessandro, lends beauty and a sweet passion to the darkness Guiditta lives with. Bella Donna is an understated crime tale about good winning over evil, and the reader has fun reading about recipes in the process.Shelley J. Glodowski, Reviewer

A Nifty Fifteenth Century Mystery

While this book is short and to the point, it manages to put the reader right into its period. Especially rewarding are the descriptions of how a fresco is made, and of the food preparations. Be warned, you will become hungry.Though I came to have supicions as the novel proceeded, I was not sure of the culprit until he was proven. In other words, without rambling around Robin Hood's barn, the author gave us readers the relevant information, yet withheld the resolution till the end. The (inedible) red herrings are there but do not distract us unduly. For a delightful trip into the Italian Renaissance, curl up in a sunny corner with "Bella Donna."

This Mystery Cooks!

If you want a relaxing afternoon read, this one is for you. Put yourself in the hammock, or curl up in your favorite chair and transport yourself to Renaissance Italy. I tell you, after a multitude of women as coroners, feisty private eyes, 24/7 career types, Giuditta, the sleuthing cook is refreshing. Emilia, daughter-in-law of the matriarch, Caterina, is murdered. Bella, the other daughter-in-law, who never got along with Emilia, is arrested for the murder. Giuditta vows to prove the innocence of Bella with whom she has a warm and respectful relationship. It is more what is missing from this mystery novel that makes it appealing. There is no real blood and gore. Action without plot is missing. And we don't have to pine over the ups and downs of the intimate relationships of the heroine. Giuditta does develop an intimate relationship along the way with Angelo the artist, but it is a warm and easy going intimacy that adds to the story.This mystery is different. Different in the immense attention to detail, and the use of superb prose to set the scenes. One is transported to the time and place. You feel the heat, dust and dirt in a palazzo. You sweat with Giduitta as she travels miles on foot to gather information. The characters are many and the Italian names a bit confusing. It reminds me a bit of P.D. James. You do have to work some brain cells on this one, and that too is a refreshing difference from many of the popular mysteries of today.The author has woven a tale of mystery that gives pleasure, and a reassurance that there really are still mystery writers that can write above the 10th grade reading level.